The woman, whose name is not being released, was shopping for pearls when the portion of the wall broke loose from about 25 feet up and came crashing through the ceiling tiles, striking her on the shoulder. She was taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center to be treated for injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, he said.

"We are very concerned that she was hurt," Hall said. "Fortunately, she was not killed. She very well could have been."

Hall said the cause of the collapse is still being investigated. The area, which is near the entrance that faces Bath & Body Works, remained cordoned off Friday evening.

Buddy Bush, director of inspections for the city, said there did not appear to be a threat of further collapse, but the area will remain closed. A structural engineer will be brought in to assess the wall before repairs can be made.

Bush said the wall, which was likely built along with the mall in the mid-1970s, is not load-bearing. He said he did not know what caused the shell face of the concrete blocks to break away.

"It's kind of a freak thing," Hall said. "I think she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Tammy Hopkins, spokeswoman for CBL Properties & Associates Inc., WestGate Mall's owner, said the company is concerned with the safety of shoppers and mall employees, and will continue to work with the investigating agencies, as well as J.C. Penney.

The retailer has been one of the mall's anchor tenants for almost four decades.

It underwent some renovation as part of a $30 million expansion project completed in October 1996 that added about 500,000 square feet of retail space to the mall.

<p>A WestGate Mall shopper was taken to the hospital Friday afternoon after she was hit with concrete debris from a portion of wall that collapsed in the jewelry section of J.C. Penney.</p><p>Spartanburg City Fire Marshal Brad Hall said the incident occurred shortly after 2 p.m.</p><p>The woman, whose name is not being released, was shopping for pearls when the portion of the wall broke loose from about 25 feet up and came crashing through the ceiling tiles, striking her on the shoulder. She was taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center to be treated for injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, he said.</p><p>"We are very concerned that she was hurt," Hall said. "Fortunately, she was not killed. She very well could have been."</p><p>Hall said the cause of the collapse is still being investigated. The area, which is near the entrance that faces Bath & Body Works, remained cordoned off Friday evening.</p><p>Buddy Bush, director of inspections for the city, said there did not appear to be a threat of further collapse, but the area will remain closed. A structural engineer will be brought in to assess the wall before repairs can be made.</p><p>Bush said the wall, which was likely built along with the mall in the mid-1970s, is not load-bearing. He said he did not know what caused the shell face of the concrete blocks to break away.</p><p>"It's kind of a freak thing," Hall said. "I think she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."</p><p>Tammy Hopkins, spokeswoman for CBL Properties & Associates Inc., WestGate Mall's owner, said the company is concerned with the safety of shoppers and mall employees, and will continue to work with the investigating agencies, as well as J.C. Penney.</p><p>The retailer has been one of the mall's anchor tenants for almost four decades.</p><p>It underwent some renovation as part of a $30 million expansion project completed in October 1996 that added about 500,000 square feet of retail space to the mall.</p>